2008-P Kennedy Half Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 1,700,000 made
- Mintage
- 1,700,000
- Metal
- Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel
- Weight
- 11.34 g
- Diameter
- 30.61 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2008-P Kennedy Half Dollar worth?
It's scarcer than a typical date, so even circulated examples sell above face. The best uncirculated coins are where the money is.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 2008-P Kennedy Half Dollar rare?
- Yes. Only 1,700,000 were made, the lowest of any regular Kennedy Half Dollar.
- Is the 2008-P Kennedy Half Dollar silver?
- No. It's copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel. Halves dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver. Kennedy halves from 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 2008 Kennedy Half Dollar?
- On the obverse, below Kennedy's portrait and above the date. On this coin the mark is P, for Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 2008 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Philadelphia issue had a smaller mintage than the 2008-P.
- How many 2008-P Kennedy Half Dollar coins were made?
- 1,700,000.
What to check on your 2008-P
- Make sure the mint mark really is a P. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 2008-D (1.7 million made).
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 2008-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof (1,377,424 made) is the one to compare with.
- A face that's fully copper colored could be a missing clad layer error. Patchy discoloration is usually damage.
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the hair above Kennedy's ear and the center of the eagle on the reverse.
The story of the 2008-P
Output at Philadelphia slipped to 1,700,000 in 2008, from 2.4 million the year before. In 2009 the figure was 1.9 million.
2008-D came to 1.7 million, so neither mint's 2008 coin is much scarcer than the other. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 2010-D (1,700,000) and the 2011-D (1,700,000).
Of the 58 Kennedy Half Dollars Philadelphia struck between 1964 and 2025, this is the scarcest. No Kennedy Half Dollar of the 2000s had a smaller run.
Collector-only production (2002 to 2025)
From 2002 the Mint stopped releasing halves into circulation and struck them only for collectors, sold in rolls, bags and sets. Mintages stayed between about 1.7 and 3.8 million per mint through 2012. In 2014 the Mint marked the 50th anniversary with a 1964-2014 dual-dated gold proof from West Point, 73,772 struck, along with silver versions from all four mints.
Silver proofs switched to .999 fine silver in 2019. Output for collectors rose again after 2020, with Philadelphia striking 30.2 million in 2023. Business strikes of these years are rarely found in change, so most surviving coins are uncirculated, often still in original Mint rolls or packaging. Silver proofs of the 2020s were made in smaller numbers than those of earlier decades.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 2008
The 50 State Quarters program ended with Hawaii. The Lincoln Memorial cent was struck for the last time.
How to recognize it
Gilroy Roberts' portrait shows John F. Kennedy facing left with LIBERTY above, IN GOD WE TRUST below and the date at the bottom. The reverse, by Frank Gasparro, is based on the Presidential seal: an eagle holding arrows and an olive branch surrounded by a ring of 50 stars. The mint mark was on the reverse in 1964 and has been below Kennedy's neck since 1968.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Kennedy Half Dollar (1964–present) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2008 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | "P" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,700,000 |
| Face value | 50¢ |
| Composition | Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel |
| Weight | 11.34 grams |
| Diameter | 30.61 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Designer | Gilroy Roberts (obverse); Frank Gasparro (reverse) |
Other 2008 Kennedy Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-P Kennedy Half Dollar | 1,700,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2008-D Kennedy Half Dollar | 1,700,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2008-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof | 1,377,424 | Proof | – |
| 2008-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Proof | 620,684 | Proof | 0.3617 oz |
Mintage: Kennedy half dollar mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.